Numerical study of flow patterns and heat transfer in mini twisted oval tubes

Abstract

Flow patterns and heat transfer inside mini twisted oval tubes (TOTs) heated by constant-temperature walls are numerically investigated. Different configurations of tubes are simulated using water as the working fluid with temperature-dependent thermo-physical properties at Reynolds numbers ranging between 500 and 1100. After validating the numerical method with the published correlations and available experimental results, the performance of TOTs is compared to a smooth circular tube. The overall performance of TOTs is evaluated by investigating the thermal-hydraulic performance and the results are analyzed in terms of the field synergy principle and entropy generation. Enhanced heat transfer performance for TOTs is observed at the expense of a higher pressure drop. Additionally, the secondary flow generated by the tube-wall twist is concluded to play a critical role in the augmentation of convective heat transfer, and consequently, better heat transfer performance. It is also observed that the improvement of synergy between velocity and temperature gradient and lower irreversibility cause heat transfer enhancement for TOTs.